States » SouthPosted at: Oct 9 2026 8:59PM


TN bypoll wins: Vijay retains his political aura, Left bruised, AIADMK pushed to third place

By MC Rajan
Chennai, Oct 9 (UNI) Despite turning a cakewalk into a contest, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Joseph Vijay retained his charisma and political aura intact with a comfortable victory in the bypoll for two constituencies to the Assembly.
The results declared on Friday has left the two Left parties bruised while pushing the AIADMK, which had won both the seats in the April Assembly election, to the third place after the DMK.
Rubbing salt to the AIADMK’s wounds was the fact that the duo who won on the AIADMK ticket and defected to the TVK after resigning within 20 days of their election – Maragatham Kumaravel (Madurantakam) and P Sathyabama (Dharapuram), were renominated by the TVK. Further, the DMK had come to the second place in these two seats considered to be a stronghold of the AIADMK.
Personally for the winners, the outcome can be construed as they retaining the seats, while for TVK, wresting it from the AIADMK, whose strength, had already depleted by six defections including the duo. Though the results add up to the strength of the TVK to 109, the party is still short of a majority of its own in the 234-member House. With the support of allies and the two Left parties extending outside support, there is no threat to the stability of the Vijay government.
The CPI and CPI(M), despite extending outside support had contested the bypoll – CPI in Dharapuram and CPI(M) in Madurantakam. The rationale offered by the Left for entering the fray was to preserve their independent identity since they are neither part of the ruling TVK-led alliance nor of the DMK-led combine and that the bypolls were neither a general election nor the one for a regime change. However, both had vouched for their continued outside support to the minority Vijay ministry.
Now, the Left parties found themselves battered and bruised as the outcome had revealed their vote share, despite their grandstanding and leaving no opportunity to criticise the government day in and day out. In Madurantakam, the CPI(M) candidate could secure a meagre 1,370 votes while in Dharapuram, the CPI nominee polled 1,106 votes and forfeited their deposits in both along with NTK and others in the fray.
With the TVK’s bypoll victory, speculation of the OBC Vanniyar-dominant Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) of Anbumani Ramadoss joining the ministry has gained fresh momentum. The PMK, which was part of the AIADMK-led NDA in Tamil Nadu after winning four seats in April general electioins, had distanced from the AIADMK and took a neutral stand in the bypoll, which observers point out, had helped the TVK in Madurantakam, where it has a considerable vote base.
Adding to it was the AIADMK sidelining former Minister C.Ve.Shanmugam, a Vanniyar and party strongman from Norther Villupuram district from where he has secured multiple wins, who has significant vote following, as he did not campaign in the run up to the polls, giving the added edge to the TVK.
And it remains to be seen whether the TVK accommodating the PMK might face resistance from the dalit outifit Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK) president and Dalit leader Thol Thirumavalan MP, whose party is a constituent of the government, and was ideologically opposited to the PMK and had been repeatedly stating it would never be part of a Front or alliance in which the Vanniyar outfit figured.
The results have emboldened the TVK to claim the AIADMK’s mantle, with senior minister Aadhav Arjuna inviting AIADMK functionaries to the TVK fold, maintaining that it is the torchbearer of the AIADMK’s legacy. There could be another exodus of AIADMK legislators to the TVK, leaving the leadership of AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami under strain.
UNI MCR-GV 2045
Tags: #TN bypoll wins: Vijay retains his political aura# Left bruised# AIADMK pushed to third place
More News

09 Oct 2026 | 11:20 PM

Kakinada, Oct 9 (UNI) Two professors of Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University Kakinada (JNTUK) have been featured in the World's Top 2% Scientists list for 2026, jointly published by Stanford University and Elsevier.

see more..

ACB detects assets worth Rs 9 41 cr in disproportionate assets case against Civil Supplies official

09 Oct 2026 | 9:56 PM

Hyderabad, Oct 9 (UNI) The Telangana Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has registered a disproportionate assets case against V Narasimha Rao, Assistant Manager (Technical) in the Civil Supplies Department, currently working as District Manager (RDO) in Mahabubabad, following allegations that he amassed assets through corrupt practices and dubious means.

see more..

Ruling TVK part of INDIA alliance, says TNCC Chief

09 Oct 2026 | 9:09 PM

Chennai, Oct 9 (UNI) TNCC President and Lok Sabha MP B.Manickam Tagore, while greeting Chief Minister Vijay for his party's victory in two bypolls, on Friday evening said the ruling TVK was part of the INDIA alliance and referred to its participation in the meeting held afew days ago where it was formally inducted into it.

see more..

Kerala CM says open to criticism, asserts major decisions discussed with Congress leaders

09 Oct 2026 | 9:03 PM

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 9 (UNI) Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan on Friday said he was open to criticism from within the Congress, asserting that major policy decisions were taken in consultation with party leaders and that the government was functioning in line with the party's policies.

see more..

TN bypoll wins: Vijay retains his political aura, Left bruised, AIADMK pushed to third place

09 Oct 2026 | 8:59 PM

By MC Rajan
Chennai, Oct 9 (UNI) Despite turning a cakewalk into a contest, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) president Joseph Vijay retained his charisma and political aura intact with a comfortable victory in the bypoll for two constituencies to the Assembly.

see more..